Sociological imagination and child obesity PDF

Running head: SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION AND CHILD OBESITY
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION AND CHILD OBESITY
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SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION AND CHILD OBESITY1
The essay focuses on understanding the essential concepts connected with sociological
imagination in relation to the subject of child obesity. Sociological imagination refers to the
individual understanding of the society and the self. It is connected with the perception of the
society in regards to something and relating it to the perception of the same thing by an
individual. These concepts can interplay to create a wider understanding of the views of an
individual in regards to the society and the world and its essential relationship with the collective
perception of the society. The study will consider sociological imagination in the context of
childhood obesity in order to significantly analyze the aspects connected with the social and
individual perception of child obesity.
According to Mills (2000) sociology is to be focused towards finding the relationship
between the various social environmental factors and the individual. Thus, it is important to
consider the wider social implications of the perceptions of individuals. The book Sociological
Imagination provides a basis on which the relationship with the individual and social
perspectives on a certain matter can be essentially linked. The concept of sociological
imagination is based on the perception of various social phenomenon by the individual. The
individual often develops essential notions about a significant issue in regards to both how the
others are affected and how he/she is affected by the same. Hence, sociological notions are
developed on the basis of their historical or social connections with the individual which can
subsequently be connected to a group of individuals and ultimately to the society in general.
Willis (1996) proposed four dimensions of sociological imagination in his work The
Sociological Quest. The dimensions are historical, cultural, structural and critical. These are the
dimensions that greatly guide sociological connections between the individual and the society
(Willis 1996).